UFC 322: Islam Makhachev-Jack Della Maddalena welterweight title fight tops New York card

UFC 322 will be headlined by a blockbuster welterweight title clash between Islam Makhachev and Jack Della Maddalena in New York on November 15, UFC CEO Dana White announced via Instagram Thursday night. Makhachev, the reigning lightweight champion, moves up a division in pursuit of a second belt, aiming to cement his status among the sport’s elite. Australia’s Della Maddalena, who is on a dominant winning streak, will defend his crown against one of the UFC’s most dominant fighters. In the co-main event, former strawweight champion Zhang Weili steps up to flyweight to take on Valentina Shevchenko.


The high-stakes showdown tops a stacked card, with fans at Madison Square Garden set for an action-packed night as two of the sport’s most dangerous fighters collide for welterweight title. Makhachev (27-1), a four-time defending lightweight champion, vacated his 155-pound title earlier this year to pursue gold at welterweight. Zhang (26-3) similarly relinquished her 115-pound belt to make the move up and challenge at flyweight.


A victory would make Makhachev the 11th fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two divisions. For Della Maddalena, the bout marks his first defense since capturing the welterweight crown from Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. Della Maddalena (18-2) enters the bout on a long winning streak, having not lost since back-to-back defeats at the start of his professional career in 2016.

Zhang enters the bout after successfully defending her strawweight crown against Tatiana Suarez in February. Her opponent, Shevchenko, 37, is regarded as the most dominant flyweight in UFC history, holding two reigns and a combined eight successful defenses at 125 pounds. White also confirmed another key welterweight clash for the main card, pitting former champion Leon Edwards (22-5) against fast-rising Brazilian contender Carlos Prates (22-7).